Another Way to Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day

Carl Considine writes:

The life of Saint Patrick, the humble man from Britain who escaped Roman slavery and brought Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, is celebrated annually on March 17. Despite Saint Patrick’s successful Christian missionary work and his designation as the primary patron saint of Ireland, the day we commemorate his life has become associated with wearing outrageous clothing, drinking pints of Guinness, and being excessively inebriated. Without taking away the joy and camaraderie that many people feel when they celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, we should also remember Patrick’s admirable character by following his example and adhering to his moral teachings.

Saint Patrick was born in Roman-ruled Britain around the year 387 A.D. When he was 16 years old, he was captured by Irish slave traders and brought as a slave to neighboring Ireland, where he spent roughly six years in bondage before escaping and returning back to his home in Britain. Years afterwards, Saint Patrick decided to return to Ireland to preach the Gospel and convert the Irish to Christianity. His autobiography, “Confession,” can help us explore the details of his miraculous life, character and conduct.

Saint Patrick writes in “Confession” that he was, “first of all, countrified, an exile, evidently unlearned, one who is not able to see into the future.” By recalling his own experience as a bewildered foreigner in Ireland with little hope of surviving, Patrick showed his empathy for society’s less fortunate members, such as the poor, immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom would lack the education as well as physical and financial ability to face problems like persecution and violence. On this Saint Patrick’s Day, we can pay tribute to Ireland’s patriot saint by being more friendly toward and tolerant of the more vulnerable members of society by extending our hands to them and offering help when we see people in need.

Full story at: Craig Considine: Another Way to Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day.